121 Comments
Mar 13Liked by Leah Koenig

Leah, thank you for your honesty and continuing to engage with all the difficult questions rather than quitting. I agree that so many of us are too quick to close the doors. I am a Zionist (i.e. I believe that Jews should be able to seek self-determination in our ancestral homeland) AND I support the two-state solution and believe that Palestinians need a state of their own. That can only be achieved by direct negotiations. I want us all to get to a place where that's possible. Appreciate you so much.

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Thank you Jane, I appreciate you too!

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I think - and feel - that this type of commentary is heartfelt, personal and helpful in moving the dialogue about this horrible situation along. Hopefully if the dialogue is able to recognize that all sides bear some responsibility and need to accept some level of accountability, progress toward resolving the situation can be achieved. So thank you Leah, for your bravery and your ability to articulate what others are thinking and feeling.

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Thank you Anne. I am glad to know that my words feel true to what you're feeling too.

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You are smart and brave, Leah. Thank you for your honesty. Because you write about Jewish food, you can’t dodge what’s going on in Gaza and Israel. But laying it all out like you have today makes you relatable and sound. I appreciate your stepping out of your comfort zone to say something.

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Thank you Anne. You have inspired me many times with the bravery you often show in your newsletter too.

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Appreicate you and your words. They capture so much of what many of us feel right now. I am sorry that you feel you have to have answers and to commentate. Because this is exhausting and not everyone feels comfortable with the performance of grief on social platforms. You are doing everything just right Leah.

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Thank you Hetty. I so value your friendship!

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Mar 13Liked by Leah Koenig

This post caused me to subscribe. No more freeloading.

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I honestly am grateful for all subscribers, both free and paid. But I'm happy to have you here.

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I really appreciate you writing this and relate to so much of it. My substack isn’t about Jewish culture, but nonetheless, as a Jewish person, I feel like I should talk about it in my newsletter and yet every time I try (bar something I wrote on 12 October), I can’t work out if I’m saying it ‘right’, given how emotive this all is. At the same time, not writing about it on my substack means I am struggling to write much else because the thoughts at the forefront of my emotional self are dominated by the awful scenes in Gaza and the (shifting) perception of Jews globally (I’m based in the UK). However, you have reminded me that even if someone doesn’t like what you say, we must find the ways to speak our truth. So thank you.

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I identify with that struggle so much, Amy. It is really, really hard. Wishing you all good things, and happy to talk offline anytime if I can be of help.

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Thank you. I really appreciate that. (I have a Word doc on my computer called, rather naively, “Peace draft 2”, which I’ve had open for well over a month. I keep tweaking it but never share it. Maybe it’s time to just press send. Will let you know. Thank you again.)

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I'm also based in the UK Amy and the shift has been alarming. I think it's okay to need time to digest and to want to feel safe while offering up one's vulnerability.

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Mar 15Liked by Leah Koenig

♥️

I think it’s impossible to have the “right” words at a time like this. At the same time, sharing any thought or opinion can feel/be very vulnerable- and sometimes the best thing we can do for ourselves is to not put ourselves out there. As a publicly Jewish person, I’m sure that this line is so razor thin for you.

I don’t know if it’s any small consolation, but I’ve only ever read you to be someone who obviously cares about life- Jewish, Palestinian, or otherwise. And you’ve kept a very level head regarding your public platforms, the things you’ve said, and portraying yourself as, rightly, horrified by the entire situation. But, people will see what they want to see and react emotionally when people they’ve created a parasocial relationship with doesn’t perfectly reflect their own thoughts and feelings.

Based on (most) of these comments, the feedback you received is the outlier.

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Thank you Cori! I so appreciate your sharing that, and am glad that my intentions are (mostly) breaking through even if there will always be outliers. So grateful to have you in this community.

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Mar 13Liked by Leah Koenig

This was amazing. Once again, you were able to put down on paper what I feel in my heart. Thank for being there.

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Appreciate this and having you here!

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Mar 13Liked by Leah Koenig

I’m a Zionist Jew and will happily continue to read your work. It’s all so complicated and difficult right now. There’s so much generational trauma being triggered for many of us. I will say that I have unsubscribed to people who have a very one-sided view that is rooted in hatred for Jewish people.

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It's ironic, to say the least, how all that jewish generational trauma isn't stopping the State of your people of comitting acts equally atrocious as the ones you were victim of over the palestinian people. I do believe hatred for jewish people is on the rise, and the reason for this, is the morally repulsive stance some of you and your State have taken. I am chilean, I have been twice to Israel and admired the jewish culture so much, however I am morally bound to reject and scream how atrocious what's happening in Gaza now, how the State of Israel is massacring the palestinian people.

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You are an anti-Semite.. Everyone ignores that Hamas killed so many Israelis and took so many hostages. This is a war now. War is horrible always. Do not conflate the Israeli government with the Jewish people.

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Hamas attacks were terrible, absolutely, and I do not hesitate in calling Hamas a terrorist organisation. However, that does not justify the scale of Israel attacks. Absolutely not. You are being inmoral right now, and when this goes down, you will have stood on the wrong side of history. That will burden your soul and will pass on to your family for a long long time.

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Would you say the same thing to Palestinians about Hamas actions? I am not responsible for Israeli government actions.

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1. Do you understand that Hamas is not the palestinian people government? Palestian people are not repesented by Hamas. Israel is represented by its head of State. Israel's current governt is basically theocratic, and the State of Israel was created in 1947 as the state of Jewish people, after the atrocities of the holocaust. I am sorry but there is an inherent connection between the jewish people and the State of Israel... like I am sure you can realize that. While I understand you are not personally responsible for the atrocities of the State of Israel, unfortunately this is what's happening and history makes you take a stand... Take the one you feel at heart.

2. I do absolutely reject Hamas attacks.

3. I would absolutely not say the same thing to a palestinian, because look at the material reality, dear god Marina. Israel is safe for the most part, supported by the most powerful nations, non occupied, its people free. While, at the very same time: look at what's happening in Palestine, Marina!!!! The palestinian don't even have military. Hospitals are being bombarded. 12.000+ DEAD PALESTIAN CHILDREN.

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They did vote for Hamas. So Palestinians are not connected to Hamas, but Jews are connected to Israel?! They’re both connected obviously!

I do hope for the violence on both sides to end.

I do support a 2 state solution.

I’m Not responding anymore. No more comments, please.

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In the spirit of the post, I will reply saying I appreciate knowing you support the two state solution and desire peace for both peoples. In that we can connect

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Also, if being disgusted by the internationally condemned attacks of Israel makes me anti semitic, I literally don't care.

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You are a horrible person for writing that.

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It's sad how you attempt to silence all opposing voices by calling them anti semitic. I am very secure in my moral stand regarding this tragedy, and that I am not fueled by hate towards jewish people. I love jewish culture, I believe in the legitimacy of the State of Israel, and unsderstand Israel was attacked by Hamas, but I will not be made to think that Israel actions are proportional self defense or alrigjht. International law stands with me (unfortunately for humanity, Israel has never cared about international law). What Israel is doing in Palestinan territories is not justified and its horrible, the biggest humanitarian crisis of this time.

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Hi Marina and Magdalena, I am not going to moderate your conversation, but I am curious if there might be points of connection (even small ones) underlying the obvious tensions here. If I am reading correctly, you both 1. condemn Hamas' attacks. 2. care about the fate of the hostages, and want them returned. Marina, I hear that your primary focus and concern is Israel. I am wondering if you might be able to widen the scope of empathy to hear the anguish Magdalena is expressing about the tens of thousands of Palestinian children and civilians who are not Hamas, and who have been living under the unimaginable panic of constant bombardment and starvation for the last several months. If not, then I think this might not be a productive conversation to continue.

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Mar 13Liked by Leah Koenig

Thank you Leah. I was not brought up Jewish, but do have Jewish heritage. I feel as you do about the situation in Gaza. I am also disgusted that innocent lives (beginning with the massacre in Israel ) are ,sacrificed for power by Iran and Hamas, and also Netanyahu and his government, who were so involved with power plays to save their own skins, they ignored the warnings from ( mainly women, ) border guards, that Hamas was on the move.

History shows that things can be different. Arabs and Jews have lived peacefully and very productively together in the past, with great collaborative discoveries in science, mathematics, astronomy and

and ethics. We can return to this Golden Age if we insist this of our so called "leaders" , who appear mostly to think only of themselves.

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For sure. "Leadership" in the region does seem to be the major road block to peace. I am praying for new leaders who actually care about the people they lead.

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Mar 13Liked by Leah Koenig

Thank you for your good intentions and your good sense.

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Mar 13Liked by Leah Koenig

Thank you for articulating so beautifully the many thoughts and feelings I've had swirling in my heart and head.

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Thank you Margaret. It feels the tiniest bit less hard to hold those feelings with other people, rather than alone.

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Leah, thank you for tackling this hard topic with so much honesty and love and grace. Your leadership and love for all people is apparent in your work and in the way you live your life. Championing Jewish food and culture does not mean you align with every choice (good or bad) of a nation or people. That's unfair for anyone to have that kind of alignment pinned to their work, especially in such an impossible and heartbreaking situation. Sending you big love. Love to Palestine. Love to Isreal. Love and peace to all families and mothers and children everywhere.

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Thank you Sarah ❤️

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Thank you for sharing this, Leah. Losing subscribers when one speaks up/out is inevitable, but I think the most frustrating responses are from those who say "stick to food, I don't come here for politics," as if the two aren't inextricably intertwined, historically and presently.

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Truly! It’s actually impossible to write about food (or write about it well, anyway) without writing about other things.

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Mar 14Liked by Leah Koenig

Thank you so much for sharing this and for articulating a perspective that is so hard to hold on to when we are continuously pressured to take ever-extreme stances.

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xx thank you

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Mar 13Liked by Leah Koenig

The top priority for all must be to bring the hostages home now, alive.

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I don’t disagree, but would gently suggest that it is possible and necessary for lasting peace to have more than one top priority.

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I do not think we should in any way “normalize” the stealing of innocent human beings. This taking of hostages is a global, humanitarian crisis. As parents, sisters, brothers, children, grandparents ourselves we are obligated to unite with and support the hostage families to bring them home. Without their safe return making peace will be even more difficult.

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Hi Rita - I agree. There is nothing normal about Hamas killing, raping, or taking hostage innocent Israeli civilians. I 100% agree that they need to come home and wish that the international community cared about that far more than it seems to. I also wish the hostages felt like a priority to the Netanyahu government, but that does not seem to be the case. (As we have seen from the Israeli families protesting his government to put the hostages front and center.) What I was suggesting was that it is possible to keep the hostages top of mind, but also widen our scope of empathy to the innocent civilians in Gaza.

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rita, your disregard to the genocide your state is comitting against the palestinian people is morally repulsive. Absolutely the return of israeli hostages is a priority, but so is stopping the atrocious attacks of israel towards the palestinian people. How can you have such a one sided concern, when there are over 12.000 CHILDREN THAT HAVE BEEN KILLED?!?

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Magdalena, I will share a bit of context that perhaps you already know, which is that many Jewish people around the world feel like the international community rushed past the horrific traumas of Oct 7. Either rushed past them, tried to claim that they were justified, or denied that they happened all together. (I'm not saying you personally did this.) So I think a lot of the defensive tone you are hearing in these comments probably stem from that feeling of abandonment.

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